Rain, if continues, may calm talk of water use restrictions

FAIRHAVEN — The downpour earlier this week may forestall any talk of water restrictions in Fairhaven, such as limiting the watering of lawns.

Executive Secretary Jeffrey Osuch, who chairs the Mattapoisett River Watershed Alliance, said there was talk at the state level earlier this year about enforcing water-use restrictions when the area was experiencing a drought.

He said the Department of Environmental Protection was considering such steps because of concerns about the water levels.

On Tuesday, he said, "I haven't heard anything official, but I know that the state is concerned about the drought conditions. There was some discussion earlier this summer. It's been extremely dry as of, ironically, this morning."

He said such considerations may have altered following 1.5 inches of rain the first two days of the week.

Mr. Osuch said the state is concerned about stream flow in bodies of water like the Mattapoisett River. But he said there is no problem, as far as he knows, with the wells the town shares with surrounding communities in the Mattapoisett River basin.

Mr. Osuch said if the rain doesn't continue sufficiently over the next few weeks to ease concerns, the DEP could enforce a water ban. He said the ban might restrict people to watering their lawns only once a week or only in the evening.

But Mr. Osuch said he is "not aware of any such" enforcement on the horizon. "The key right now is how much rain do we get in a week or more," he said.

Mr. Osuch said automatic sprinklers or irrigation systems have contributed to an unnecessary overuse of water.

"More and more homes are putting in irrigation systems on timers," he said. "Sometimes they come on when it's raining and the water runs down the street."

He added, "We live in a time right now where people want to see green lawns."